


a little bit of quiet

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Autistic Keith (Voltron), M/M, Post-Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 09:43:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11272932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Shiro going missing makes everything too loud, too close, and too distant as well.





	a little bit of quiet

               Shiro was gone.

               “What are we going to _do?”_

“Where did he go?”

               Keith bit down on the inside of his cheek. _Stop talking,_ he wanted to say. Everybody was in a circle in front of the Black Lion – the _empty_ Black Lion –

               He turned and took a few shaking steps away, keeping his back to everybody, but he could hear them anyway –

               “We’ve got to find _somebody_ to fly Black until we find him –“

               “Until? How long is it going to _be?_ ” Pidge. Frantic. Keith would have smiled if he’d had the energy. She loved Shiro almost as much as he did.

               “We can’t form Voltron without a Black Paladin, even a temporary one.” Allura. Sharp and to the point as usual. Keith liked her. She made sense. He liked it when people made sense –

               “Okay, but like… _where did he go?_ If Zarkon could just _teleport_ us out of our Lions, why hasn’t he done it before now?” Hunk. Hunk was scared. Stop. Make it stop. It didn’t make _sense._ Shiro couldn’t be gone.

               “I didn’t detect any Galra energy in there.” Coran. “Whatever took him, I don’t think it was Galra.”

               “Keith?” Allura. Again.

               Silence. His back prickled.

               “Keith?” Pidge this time. They wanted a response. He couldn’t give one. Words were stupid. Words were _hard._ Shiro. He needed Shiro. When he got like this Shiro knew what he wanted to say. Shiro wouldn’t make him _talk._ Shiro –

                _Shiro’s gone._

Keith lifted his head, looking at his reflection in the Black Lion’s shiny surface. Someone was coming up behind him.

               “Keith, Shiro wanted you to lead if something like this ever happened.” Why wouldn’t Allura shut _up?_ “I think –“ Her hand landed on his shoulder, and he jerked away. _Don’t touch me. Don’t touch me. Don’t touch me –_

He banged his head against Black’s leg, and the pressure wouldn’t go away, so he did it again, and everything was so _loud –_ he pushed his hands over his ears, and he closed his eyes and it wouldn’t _stop –_

“What’s wrong?”

               “I don’t – Alteans don’t –“

               It wouldn’t _stop_ he could still _hear_ them –

               “Back off!”

               Everything went quiet. A whisper – “Are you sure-?”

               Then strong arms circled him and he fought and he wanted it to _stop_ but then the pressure started, strong arms squeezing and squeezing and squeezing, until the tension in his arms and chest and head and heart started to fall away. He was drifting. That was okay. Everything was quiet now.

               He could deal with quiet.

               Slowly, his hands fell away from his ears, curling on Hunk’s chest. His eyes were still closed, but distantly, he realized he could see himself – through Red’s eyes, sketched in red and black. _Breathe now, my paladin. Be calm._

“It’s okay, Hunk,” he said after what was probably too long. “You can let go now.”

               “Alright.” Hunk eased off his grip, but didn’t quite let go. Keith opened his eyes and looked up at him, expecting to see embarrassment, maybe disgust – _how could I be so weak and stupid, that was pointless, now they’ll –_

“Thank you,” he managed to mumble, trying to ignore the litany of fear in his head.

               Hunk just smiled, nodded – and stayed quiet.

               He liked the quiet.

 


End file.
